Well gun



WELL GUN June 14, -1

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Mar 1957 2 2 i. 9 SF F. KING WELL GUN June 14, 1938.

Filed March. 4, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Will/g Patented June i4, 1938 UNITED s'r'ras OFFICE This invention relates to a gun for use in gas, oil and water wells for the purpose of perforating screens and/or casings and for breaking up the formation adjacent thereto.

An object of the invention is to provide a gun made up of one or more sections containing superposed chambers each adapted to hold an explosive adapted to be discharged after the gun has been positioned properly in the well whereby pro- Jectiles will be forced through the screens or casings and into the formation.

A further object is to provide a firing element adapted to be dropped into the gun for the purpose of exploding the charges, it being possible subsequently to withdraw the gun and the firing tube from the well.

A further object is to so construct the gun and firing tube as to permit the well to be washed or otherwise treated subsequently to the firing operation and prior to withdrawal of the gun.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claims, it being understood that changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of parts without. departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the invention has been shown.

In said drawings Figure 1 is an elevation of the gun.

Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal section through a portion thereof prior to the discharge of the explosive, a portion.of the firing tube being shown in position above the explosive.

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 and showing the firing tube in its lowermost position following the explosion of the charges.

Figure 4 is an elevation of a gun made up of connected sections.

Figure 5 is an enlarged section through a portion of the sectional gun, said section being taken on the line 5-5, Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a longitudinal section through the firing tube.

Figure 7 is an enlarged section on line 1-1,

' Figure 3.

Figure 8 is a section on line 88, Figure 3.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference i designates the tubular barrel of the gun which can be of any desired length and diameter. The wall of this gun is of sufilcient thickness to permit the formation therein of of the barrel l.

sockets 2 the walls of which are screw-threaded while the inner ends of the sockets are provided with openings 3 in communication with the bore Each socket is adapted to receive a screw plug 5 having a longitudinal bore 5 ii the inner end of which is counterbored as at 8 and adapted to bear against the inner end of the socket 2 in which it is seated. Each bore 5 is of such diameter as to receive snugly a shell S containing an explosive and a projectile P. 10 The cap C of each shell is adapted to be seated in the counterbore 8 where it can be engaged by a, firing pin 1 having a collar 8 for preventing its withdrawal inwardly from the opening 8 in which it is slidably mounted. Normally the inner 15 ends of the firing pin project slightly into the bore 8 in the barrel i.

The sockets 2 are arranged preferably in pairs, the sockets of each pair being diametrically opposed. Any desired number of these sockets can 20 be used and each of them will of course be equipped with a plug 4 for holding a shell S.

The lower end of the barrel I has a screwthreaded socket i0 concentric therewith for receiving the reduced threaded and II of a tapered 25 tip i2. In this tip is a longitudinal bore i3 of substantially the same diameter as the bore 9 but having its upper end flared, as indicated at M. The lower end of the bore I3 is reduced in diameter to provide a tapered seat It.

Slidably mounted in the wall of the tip I: are oppositely disposed slidable dogs i8 each of which is limited in its movement by a pin li projecting transversely through a groove [8 in the dog. The

inner ends of these dogs are held normally pro-- 35 jected into the bore i8 by springs I9 exerting a constant thrust against them. These springs are held under restraint by removable screw plugs 20. The inner ends of the dogs are preferably beveled as shown so that when a downwardly moving ab 40 ject presses against the beveled faces of the dogs, said dogs will be pressed apart against the action of their springs.

The upper end of the bore 9 is preferably flared as shown at 2i. It opens into the lower end of a 45 tube 22 screwed onto or otherwise attached to the upper end of the barrel I. This tube can be of any desired length to facilitate insertion of the barrel into the well. Also, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, one or more tubes corresponding to tube 50 22 can be employed for holding together at properly spaced intervals, two or more gun barrels.

In these figures the connecting tubes have been indicated at 23 while the barrels joined thereby have been indicated at 24. The construction of 55 the barrels is the same as that heftoiore d e scribeid, each barrel having the pairs of sockets 2 for recei lng the plugs 4 which, in turn,.re-

ceive the loaded shells B so as to hold them in position for engagement by the firing pins 1.

There is provided in connection with the gun, a firing tube indicated at 25, this can be of any desired length and is provided at its lower end with a tapered head or wedging element 28. .The diameter of this wedging element or head is slightly less than the diameter of the bore 9. The upper end of the firing tube is connected to a tubular coupling 21 having vents 28 and this coupling is designed to connect the tube to a rod 29 or the like of any suitable length whereby the tube can be dropped into and removed from the gun at the proper times.

In practice the gun barrel l is loaded with shells S containing explosives and projectiles, these being placed in the plugs 4 after which the plugs are screwed into the sockets 2 provided for them. With the shells thus positioned, the firing pins will all project inwardly into the bore 9. If only one of these barrels is used it is connected to a tube 22 sufficiently long to permit it to be lowered to the desired level. If two or more gun barrels are employed, they are connected together by the coupling tubes 23 so as to be held apart the required distances after which the completed sectional gun is lowered into the well. Following the placing of the gun, the firing tube 25 is inserted into the upper end thereof and then permitted to fall. As it drops Within the bores 9 of the gun barrels it wedges between the firing pins and thrusts them outwardly so that the several shells are thus exploded and the projectiles propelled outwardly radially against the screen, casing and formation in the path thereof. When the firing tube reaches its lowermost position it will engage the seat l5 as shown in Figure 3 at which timethe dogs I 8 which have been pressed laterally by the advancing head or wedge portion 26, will spring back of said portion so as to lock the firing tube within the gun. Consequently pressure of gases or the like will not operate to force the tube upwardly but can escape through the tube and out by way of the vents 28 and the coupling 21. Furthermore while the tube is still in position, the well can be washed or otherwise treated through this firing tube.

Following the treatment of the well as described, the entire structure can be removed readily therefrom, reloaded and again used as explained.

What is claimed is:

1. A gun of the class described including a barrel having opposed sockets in the wall thereof, means in each socket for holding an explosive shell, a firing pin normally projecting into the bore of the barrel and positioned for engagement with the cap of the shell, and a firing element mounted to gravitate longitudinally within the barrel for engaging the pins to shift them and explode the caps of the shells.

2. A gun oi the class described including a barrel having a bore, sockets opening outwardly within the wall of the barrel and inwardly into the bore, firing pins within the inner portions of the sockets and normally projecting into the bore, means removably seated in the sockets for holding an explosive shell in each socket with the cap thereof in position for firing by the pin, and a firing element mounted to gravitate longitudinally of the bore for engaging and actuating the firing pin.

3. A gun oi the class described including a barrel having a bore, sockets opening outwardly within the wall of the barrel and inwardly into the bore, firing pins within the inner portions of the sockets and normally projecting into the bore. means removably seated in the sockets. tor holding an explosive shell in each socket with the cap thereof in position for firing by the pin, a

firing element mounted to gravitate longitudinally of the bore for engaging and actuating the firing pin, and means for automatically locking said firing element against return movement within the bore.

' 4 Agunoi the class described including a barrel ha ing a bore, sockets opening outwardly into the bore, firing pins within the inner portions of the socketsand normally projecting into the bore, means removably seated in the sockets for holding an explosive shell in each socket with the cap thereof in position for firing by the pin, a firing element slidable longitudinally of the bore for engaging and actuating the firing pins, and means for automatically locking said firing element against return movement within the bore, said element being tubular and provided with a vent.

5. A gun of the class described including a barrel having a bore, there being opposed sockets in the wall of the barrel, means removably seated in the sockets for holding explosive shells there- I M f in, firing pins extending into the sockets and normally projecting into the bore, a firing tube slidable longitudinally of the bore for actuating the firing pin, said tube having a wedging portion at its advancing end for engagement with the firing pin, means for limiting the movement of the firing tube in one direction, and means for automatically locking said tube against move ment in the opposite direction.

6. A gun of the class described including an elongated barrel having a bore, there being a plurality of opposed sockets in the wall of the barrel,

means removably mounted in each socket for.

locking the tube against movement away from the barrel.

7. A gun of the class described including an elongated barrel having a bore, there being a plurality of opposed sockets in the wall of the barrel, firing pins extending into the sockets from within the bore, means removably seated in the sockets for holding explosive shells positioned to be fired by the pins, a tip removably attached to one end of the barrel and having a seat, there being a bore extending through the tip, opposed yieldingly restrained dogs slidable within the tip, and a firing tube having a wedge portion, said tube being movable longitudinally within the bore to successively engage and shift the firing pins, engage and shift the dogs, and engage the seat, said dogs constituting means for automatically engaging the firing tube to hold it against withdrawal from the barrel.

FRITZ KING. 

